Binevenagh, Ballycarton and Grange Park Forests Masterplan
Client: Binevenagh and Coastal Lowlands Landscape Partnership Scheme
The Challenge
To prepare an outdoor recreation spatial masterplan to improve coordination, development and delivery of outdoor recreation opportunities in Binevenagh, Ballycarton and Grange Park Forests, County Londonderry.
Through detailed research, consultation (with partners and the community) and fieldwork, the Outdoor Recreation Spatial Masterplan presented costed actions which over a five-year period lead to:
‘better coordination, development and delivery of the outdoor recreation product within and around Binevenagh, Ballycarton and Grange Park Forests, including better visitor flow, enhanced visitor services and improved connectivity between different parts of the study area and nearby settlements’
The Role
To:
- Review the history of ownership and management of the project area
- Establish current patterns of visitor use and outdoor recreation activities which take place within the study area, including an assessment of visitor flows
- Review connectivity between the different parts of the study area, nearby settlements and public transport
- Establish if there is capacity within the study area to accommodate a more diverse range of outdoor recreation activities and identify the potential for a range of outdoor activities to be offered and outline the feasibility of suggestions
- Define the current outdoor recreation product on offer within the study area, determine how effective the current outdoor recreation product is and whether there is scope for landowners to work together to develop and deliver a more effective and sustainable product
- Establish the visitor services which are currently available within and adjacent to the study area and indicate additional visitor services (both public and private) which would be required to improve the outdoor recreation product.
- Provide a spatial masterplan (map and associated action plan) which could be delivered by a partnership of the key landowners, over five years, with support from the Binevenagh and Coastal Lowlands Landscape Partnership Scheme to provide a shared and improved outdoor recreation product within the study area. In addition to options within the study area the plan must include costed options to:
- develop an off-road walk connecting Aghanloo to Castlerock through the study area
- develop an off-road walk connecting Ballycarton to Swann’s Bridge and onwards to the Roe Estuary Nature Reserve and Myroe and Ballykelly Bank Walks
- develop an off-road walk which connects the lower car park at St Aidan’s Chapel to Ballycarton Forest whilst avoiding the graveyard and chapel
- connect walkers from Benone Strand and Magilligan Point to the core project area